


How to Get to First Base (and Steal Second)

by fmpsimon



Category: Ookiku Furikabutte | Big Windup!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Awkward Romance, Baseball puns, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Third Year
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-18 13:01:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28992591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fmpsimon/pseuds/fmpsimon
Summary: Takaya is determined to get to first base with Ren when he invites him on his family trip.
Relationships: Abe Takaya/Mihashi Ren
Comments: 9
Kudos: 50





	How to Get to First Base (and Steal Second)

“Um, well, it’s just—isn’t it a little…w-weird?”

“Weird?” Takaya put his hand on his hip, eyeing Ren. “What’s weird about it?” He was already a little annoyed, yet he was still planning on spending the entire day with Ren tomorrow. Maybe it had been a mistake to invite him along after all.

Ren fidgeted, looking anywhere except at Takaya. “W-well, going with…on your…family o-outing….” Takaya’s eye twitched; he was trying to keep his cool—that was always the goal when he was having a conversation with Ren, no matter what feelings he harbored for him. “Um, won’t it be strange?”

“Why? We do lots of things together,” Takaya said casually. It was better to not engage him in his worries, but he kept his eyes on him all the same. Ren had been more confident lately, as opposed to when they first starting going out, when he had questioned every little thing. Now Ren only freaked out when Takaya tried something new. He pursed his lips. Ren sometimes made him wonder whether he was in his right mind or not. He could be annoying as hell and he made Takaya lose his temper more times than he could count, yet…he still wanted to be with him.

He stared at Ren, still sputtering, a blank expression on his face. “I must be out of my mind,” he muttered.

“Eh?” Ren stopped and looked at him, his eyebrows knit together.

Takaya grabbed his arms. “You’re thinking too much. You know my family. They know _you_. It’s going to be fine.”

Ren nodded quickly. “Okay.”

“Don’t be nervous.” Takaya leaned closer. It was awkward, but maybe…a kiss would make him feel better? Or at least settle his nerves? They hadn’t actually kissed at all yet—this probably wasn’t the right time. He felt heat creep into his cheeks, and he moved back, letting his hands drop to his sides. Ren had finally met his gaze and he had a funny look in his eyes that Takaya couldn’t quite place. Sometimes he honestly wondered if Ren could read his mind. Or had he been expecting a kiss? He dismissed the thought. Ren still flipped out at the idea of holding hands; there was no way he was ready and willing to kiss.

Suddenly a beeping sound reached both their ears and Ren scrambled to pull his phone out of his pocket. He opened it and answered. “Hi, Mom. Yes, I know it’s late. Sorry.” His eyes flicked up to Takaya, who was trying to not look too interested in what the call was about. “I’m with Takaya now. Oh. Um, o-okay.” He held out his phone. “My mom wants to talk…to you.”

Takaya frowned, but took the phone. “Good evening, ma’am.”

“Good evening, Abe-kun!” Ren’s mother’s voice rang out, simultaneously bubbly and weary. “I wanted to thank you for letting Ren tag along with you on your holiday tomorrow! He probably hasn’t told you, but he’s really looking forward to it. He probably won’t even sleep tonight.” Takaya smiled, looking down. “I want to give your family a gift, so please tell Ren what flavors you like.”

“I will,” he replied, smirking. “And I’m really looking forward to it too.”

“Oh, how nice!” she said, and he could hear her grinning through the phone.

Takaya handed Ren back the phone, watching him while he ended the conversation with a sigh. “You’re really looking forward to spending time with me, huh?”

“Huh? Oh, m-me?” Ren pointed at his chest and Takaya nodded. “W-well, anytime I get to…spend with you, um, yeah—I look forward to that.”

Takaya tousled Ren’s hair, smiling. “You’ll be here tomorrow morning? We’re going to leave by 7, so don’t be late.”

“Okay.” Ren nodded, mounting his bicycle.

Takaya waved and watched him until he turned a corner. He let out a sigh and walked into his house. Ren was looking forward to the outing—that was nice—but it wasn’t really an outing. Takaya’s aunt and uncle owned a farm an hour or so west of his home. His family had made regular trips to see them when he and his brother were kids; there was a lot of land, and the two of them would usually just hit baseballs, play catch, or run around and chase the chickens.

He sighed when his head hit the pillow, then he pressed his palms into his forehead, grunting in frustration. He’d really wanted to kiss Ren! He couldn’t get that face out of his mind. Why did Ren have to look so cute when he was anxious? Maybe he should have just gone for it—no one would have seen them—a quick kiss, and then he could have ducked back into his house if things had gotten weird. He wondered again if that’s what that look had been about. He thought he’d have to wait at least until graduation to get to first base, but maybe…maybe tomorrow would be his chance. If they could just get away from everyone, just for a little while….

He flopped onto his side and opened his phone. _Did you get home okay?_ he typed. _Send_. He frowned. What if Ren didn’t want to go any further than this? Maybe all he was comfortable with was just hanging out and hugging from time to time—and even _that_ had been a struggle. He supposed that two years ago, even having a conversation was difficult, so spending time alone _was_ progress. Without realizing it, another heavy sigh escaped his lips. Since when did he start caring about this sort of thing, anyway? He’d never thought twice about girls before, because baseball had always come first—besides, dating always had a way of becoming a distraction, not just from baseball, but from school as well. But this thing with Ren…it had really snuck up on him. There really was no going back at this point.

His phone buzzed and he flipped it open. A message from Ren. _Got home fine. Sleep well!_ He couldn’t help the smile that spread over his lips. _You too_ , he typed back. He hugged his phone to his chest, then, embarrassed and disgusted with himself, he slammed the phone down on his bedside table, and shut his eyes. No blushing or saying sappy stuff tomorrow.

After a restless night and only an hour or two of sleep, Takaya was jarred awake by his cell phone ringing. He stared at the text blearily, trying to read its contents. It was only six in the morning, and Ren was already outside. He was too tired to even be annoyed as he slowly got out of bed and shuffled downstairs to the front door.

“Hey,” he grunted when he opened the door. He rubbed his eyes and stifled a yawn. Ren looked more anxious than ever, his head darting around trying to avoid making eye contact. “You can come in,” Takaya said, turning around. “Did you eat breakfast?”

“Y-yes, I had a little to eat,” Ren said. He closed the door softly behind him and followed Takaya until they reached the stairs.

Takaya was half-way up before he realized Ren wasn’t behind him. He turned, frowning. “Aren’t you coming? You can just wait in my room while I get ready.”

“Your…room?” Ren repeated.

“Uh-huh.” Takaya kept walking and Ren hurried to catch up to him.

“Sorry I’m here so early,” Ren said softly. “I didn’t want to be late, but…I just ended up being super early, I guess.”

“Forget it,” Takaya said. He was still waking up, so he knew he was coming off a little gruff. “Better we talk now, so I can prep you for the day ahead of us.” He actually wasn’t upset at all that Ren had showed up so early—in fact, he was pleased. They wouldn’t be afforded much time to be alone on the trip, and while the time wasn’t ideal, it was still time they could spend together.

Ren sat on the bed as Takaya got dressed, quiet as usual. And when Takaya came back after brushing his teeth, Ren was still sitting there, his hands clasped in his lap.

“Don’t be so nervous,” Takaya said, sitting next to him. “I don’t even need to feel your hand to know that you’re freaking out.” He looked at him. “You’re biting your lip so hard, it’s gonna bleed.” He reached up and touched Ren’s chin, brushing his thumb against his lower lip.

“A-ah, Takaya,” Ren said under his breath. Takaya leaned closer and closer and closer, until—

“Taka!” Shun burst into the room and both Takaya and Ren leapt apart, putting almost a meter between them.

“Dammit, Shun, can’t you knock?!” Takaya almost shouted.

Shun frowned. “It’s 6:30 in the morning—I figured you were asleep.”

“So, you come in yelling my name when you think I’m sleeping?!” Takaya glared at his little brother. He had been about to kiss Ren— _really_ kiss him—and Shun had ruined it! “What d’you want?”

Shun scratched the back of his head, pouting. “Mom said to make sure you were up.” He looked at Ren, then smiled. “Hi, Ren-Ren! I didn’t know you were here already!”

“Heh, yeah,” Ren said, averting his eyes.

“You must’ve been excited! This is gonna be so much fun!” Shun grabbed him by the arm and started dragging him out of the room, ignoring Takaya’s protests. “Didja eat yet? My mom makes the best onigiri!”

Ren glanced back at Takaya, a pained expression on his face, and Takaya sighed. Shun really liked Ren, and he had to admit, he didn’t mind so much, since he got to see Ren’s cute, flustered face when he heard that ridiculous nickname. Despite already having eaten, both Shun and Takaya’s mother convinced Ren to eat again. He was too skinny, anyway, Takaya thought.

Soon after breakfast, they piled into the car and got on their way. Takaya had to stop Shun from sitting in the middle seat, so Ren could sit there. This provided him with another opportunity to really cozy up to Ren, who was blushing head to toe as soon as they all got buckled in. Three teenagers in the backseat of a sedan was a tight squeeze, though, and it was far from comfortable for any of them.

“My aunt never had any kids, so she always liked it when me and my brother came to visit,” Takaya explained later, after Shun had fallen asleep. “My uncle is like my dad: loud, but well-meaning. My aunt is like my mom, only a little quieter. She’s older, so she appreciates if we help out around the house when we visit.”

“I-I don’t mind helping with things,” Ren said. “As long as someone tells me what to do…that is.”

“Don’t worry. She’s plenty bossy,” Takaya muttered with a crooked smile. “There’ll be a lot of questions for you, though, so be prepared to talk.” Ren nodded, wringing his hands in his lap.

Takaya’s statement turned out to be true: his aunt and uncle drilled Ren on everything from where he lived to his favorite pitch to his favorite ramen flavor. Ren quickly became overwhelmed and could barely get a word out, let alone an entire sentence, so Takaya made up an excuse to get them out of the conversation.

“Make yourselves at home!” his aunt called after them. “It’s so nice to meet one of Taka’s friends!”

They spent the next hour or so playing catch, until Shun got bored and wandered off. “Um, Takaya?” Ren said, fingering the baseball in his hands. “This morning…in your room. Were you going to…?”

“There you boys are!” Takaya’s mother came jogging over. “Would you mind helping prepare lunch? Mihashi-kun, Taka tells me you’re pretty handy in the kitchen.”

“Y-yes, ma’am!” Ren jumped to his feet. Takaya trailed behind them, his frown deepening. It seemed like he wasn’t going to be afforded any time alone with Ren for the entire day. Every time they had a few minutes to themselves, someone came and interrupted him. He wished he had made up an excuse not to come along on the trip at all, and then he could have invited Ren over to his house. A lazy smile played on his lips. An entire day alone with Ren with _no_ interruptions whatsoever. Then again, could he really stand to be around Ren that long without a buffer? Sure, he could make it to first base with Ren, maybe even second, but it’s not like they could make out for that entire time.

“Taka. Taka! Are you listening?”

“Huh?” He cleared his throat and felt his cheeks flush a little. “Sorry, what did you say?”

“Could you help prepare the rice?” his aunt repeated.

“Yeah, sure.” His smile faded as he glanced over at Ren, who was quickly chopping vegetables. Ren seemed really at home in the kitchen, and Takaya couldn’t help but think…if they ever lived together, Ren would probably be stuck making all the meals. Takaya wasn’t completely helpless in the kitchen, but if he were responsible for dinner, he’d probably order in most days. He tried to concentrate on washing the rice, but his mind kept wandering to other things, specifically Ren wearing an apron and…nothing else.

“Takaya!” Ren had reached over and turned the water off and was gaping at him. Takaya blinked. “The rice was going down the drain,” Ren said. “Are you okay?”  
Takaya swallowed and gave a quick nod. Okay? Of course he was okay. And definitely _not_ picturing Ren naked. He really needed to get himself under control. Why was he so fixated on taking the next steps with Ren? And why now, of all times, when he was surrounded by his family? This was the complete wrong time for it, and if his family were to find out, it could be disastrous.

“Uh, actually, I’m really not much good in the kitchen, Auntie,” Takaya said after a minute. He put a hand on Ren’s shoulder. “Ren’ll keep helping. Careful not to hurt yourself.”

“I-I will,” Ren said, looking after him. He mouthed, “Are you okay?”

Takaya nodded and smiled before walking out. He really just needed to cool off and stop being so…so horny. He groaned internally at the thought. He had no reason to feel like this—the most intimate they’d gotten was just hugging, and even that hadn’t gone beyond how good friends would hug. He sighed, rubbing his forehead. Something had to change; he didn’t think he could control himself much longer.

“Did you get kicked out?” Shun said, suddenly turning up next to him. He tucked his phone in his back pocket.

Takaya eyed him. “What were you doing all this time? You’ve been on your phone an awful lot lately.”

Shun’s cheeks flushed. “Have I? I…don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Uh-huh.” Takaya continued to stare at him, and his brother’s cheeks only turned redder. “What is it, a girl?” Shun started to deny it, then bit his lip and averted his eyes. It was a girl for sure. “Are you going out?”

“No, not yet,” Shun muttered.

Takaya folded his arms, smirking. “Feel free to ask your big brother for advice.”

“You?” Shun said in disbelief. “ _You’ve_ never dated. How would _you_ know anything?”

“I—uh, well,” Takaya sputtered. It was true, he hadn’t ever dated anyone, other than Ren, and no one in his family knew about that. “That doesn’t mean I don’t know anything about relationships. Ren and I have been through a lot. We take care of each other too, almost in the same way couples do.”

Shun raised his eyebrow. “But Ren’s just your friend. That’s not the same at all.”

Takaya frowned. Even when they were alone, they seemed like _just friends_. In fact, they acted so friendly that nobody even suspected anything else was going on, even their teammates, and he doubted it was because they were just good at hiding it. They were no closer than Tajima or Hanai was to any of their other teammates.

“Right,” Takaya said stiffly. “We’re just friends.” He leaned against the side of the house, staring out at the fields in front of them. He wished he could tell his brother—he _wanted_ to tell him—but he wasn’t sure he could trust him not to go blabbing. He watched Shun pull out his phone again, quickly tapping out a message with his thumbs. Yeah, it was better not to say anything.

“I’ll do the dishes,” Takaya said later that evening, after they had eaten dinner. It seemed none of the adults had even heard him, or they didn’t acknowledge him if they did. They were drinking—his father’s face was red and his mom was laughing a lot harder than she normally did.

“I’ll help dry,” Ren said, sidling up next to him.

“Thanks.” They stood in silence. Takaya figured Ren was listening to the conversation going on behind them, while he was mostly lost in his own thoughts. Again, he was close to Ren, but wanting to be closer. He wondered if Ren had the same thoughts, or if it was just him that was hung up on their relationship stagnating?

“You…you’ve been quiet today,” Ren said at length.

“Oh,” Takaya said. “I have?” Ren nodded, eyeing him as he dried another bowl and stacked it with the others. “I guess I’m a little preoccupied.”

Ren cocked his head. “With…what?”

“I’m probably just overthinking,” Takaya dismissed.

“Over…thinking?” Ren repeated carefully. “So, something _is_ wrong. Is it b-because of me?”

_Yes_.

“No, stop it. It’s me. I’m just…preoccupied,” he said again. Takaya handed Ren the last dish, then turned around, leaning against the counter. He sighed, folding his arms, his expression something between disappointment and bemusement. Ren looked at him. “It’s like this every time.” He stared at his mom and aunt as they doubled over, laughing, and his dad and uncle arguing over the latest baseball game. “Once they all get going, we end up spending the night.” He put his hand on Ren’s shoulder. “Sorry, I should’ve warned you. I hope your mom won’t be upset.”

“Uh, I don’t think…she’ll care.” Ren flinched as Takaya’s uncle slammed his fist on the table, which was followed by uproarious laughter from the rest of them. “I’d better…call her…though.”

Takaya nodded, glancing back as Ren walked out the front door. He caught Shun by the arm as he was walking by. “We’re spending the night,” he said. Then, in a low voice, “If you sleep on the couch out here, I’ll give you all my New Year’s money.”

“Huh?” Shun said. “Why?”

Takaya tightened his grip. “Don’t ask questions, just do it.”

“O-okay, fine!” Shun wrenched his arm away, rubbing it. “You’d better not be lying!”

Takaya’s eyes hardened under his furrowed brow. “I’m dead serious.”

Shun narrowed his eyes as Takaya started walking away. “Fine, but if Mom or Auntie finds me and scolds me, I’m coming into the room, and you _still_ owe me the money.”

Takaya stopped. “That new phone of yours…it’d be a shame if something happened to it.” Shun pursed his lips. “I mean, if someone were to get a hold of it, they could do anything they wanted, even…chat with your little girlfriend.”

“You wouldn’t!” Shun snapped. Takaya shrugged. “Ugh, are you serious? So, where am I supposed to go if Mom finds me?”

“Tell ‘em you’re afraid of the dark and want to sleep with them, I don’t care. Just stay out my room,” he added with a dark look. “’Night-night.” Takaya waved, walking off and meeting Ren.

“My mom wasn’t upset,” Ren said, smiling. “She said to have fun and reminded me to figure out what gift to get your parents.”

Takaya smiled, shaking his head slightly. “You already got my aunt and uncle manju. All my parents did was drive you here. And we were already going, anyway.”

Ren leaned into him as they walked up the stairs. “Then…tell me what _you_ like, and I’ll get that.”

“Heh.” Takaya glanced at Ren, who had a shy smile on his face, and it was all he could do to not pounce on him that instant. Instead he cleared his throat, and they walked to the room they’d be sleeping in. His aunt had already prepared two futons (she had assumed Takaya and Shun would be sharing one).

Takaya stripped down to his undershirt and boxers, then pulled on a pair of sweatpants he’d brought along (since he always prepared for an overnight stay), and Ren quickly followed suit. He tried not to look at Ren; though they’d seen each other many times in just their underwear, it was different when they weren’t with the rest of the team. “I told Shun to sleep somewhere else,” he said casually, glancing over his shoulder. “So we can be alone.”

“O-oh, o-okay,” Ren said when he’d finished changing. He sat down and hugged his knees to his chest, staring at his bare feet. Takaya watched him, unsure of what to do. Ren was always uncomfortable and he felt bad that he couldn’t change that. He moved to sit next to him. “Are you gonna…talk to me?”

“Huh? Oh. Um…what do you want to…talk about?” Ren said.

Takaya pursed his lips. “Or…we could _not_ talk,” he suggested. He leaned his head against Ren’s. “You like me, right?”

Ren swiveled his trunk around, grasping Takaya’s leg. “Yeah, of course!” He frowned. “Why…um, do you think I d-don’t…like you?”

Takaya shrugged. “I dunno…I just thought we’d be…further…than we are.” He met Ren’s gaze.

“F-further?”

“I wanna kiss,” Takaya said firmly. “We’ve been going out a while. It’s time for the next step.” He swallowed, a little nervous about what Ren’s reaction would be. “What do you think?”

“Is this what’s been bothering you?” Ren said. Takaya didn’t respond, which was answer enough. “Well…if it is, then…o-okay,” Ren mumbled.

Takaya grabbed his shoulders, maybe a little roughly. “Really?”

“Y-yeah,” Ren said, his cheeks flushing.

“Okay.” It wasn’t like Takaya was an expert in kissing—this was his first kiss too—but he at least had some idea of how to do it. Ren was frozen, his lips puckered, his eyes wide open. As much as he wanted this, he felt he had to accept that Ren just wasn’t ready. So, before their lips even touched, Takaya backed off. “You…don’t really want to do this, do you?” Ren blinked, surprised. “I want you to want it too. Otherwise it just feels like I’m forcing you.”

Ren shook his head. “You’re not forcing me! I…want to…too! I just, um…it’s my first…time….” By the time he finished the sentence, his head was bowed and his fingers were clenched around his pant legs.

“It’s my first time too,” Takaya said matter-of-factly. He took one of Ren’s hands, then the other. “I can lead.” Ren gave the smallest nod, and Takaya leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. He pulled back enough to see Ren’s expression. “So…how was it?”

“Um…we can do…more,” Ren said quietly, averting his gaze. “If you want.”

“If I want?” Takaya grinned and pounced on him, straddling his hips and resting his forearms on either side of Ren’s head. “How’s this?” he said, before kissing him again.

Ren seemed to be unsure of what to do, but he was trying. His eyes were squeezed shut and he was gripping Takaya’s shirt with both hands.

“Open your mouth a little,” Takaya whispered between kisses. He was _getting to first base_ , even if I killed him. Ren did as he was told and Takaya pushed his tongue inside. Ren let out a little yelp and Takaya pulled back. “What?”

Ren wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. “That just…surprised me.” Takaya frowned a little. He didn’t like it. “But…it felt…good.” Ren smiled, his cheeks flushed.

“Yeah?” Takaya couldn’t keep the grin off his face as he dove in again. This time, Ren even kissed him back, pulling Takaya closer. But this was really dangerous. It felt so good, he didn’t think he could stop at just kissing, and his body was definitely responding. “Ren,” he said breathlessly.

“Huh?” Ren was breathing heavily, staring up at him.

“If we don’t stop, I’m gonna have a problem,” Takaya murmured. “What about you?”

Ren averted his eyes, then, after a moment, nodded. “Yeah.”

“Shit,” Takaya said, flopping onto his back. “I really wanna keep going.” He rested his head on his arm, facing Ren. “Can I…touch you?”

Ren’s cheeks turned a deeper shade of red and his hands flew to cover his groin. “Eh?”

“No, not there.” Takaya’s hand crept up Ren’s waist, under his t-shirt.

Ren flinched as Takaya put his hand over Ren’s breast and squeezed. Ren yelped again, grasping Takaya’s hand under his shirt. “What are you doing now?” he whispered.

Takaya smirked. “Stealing second.”

**Author's Note:**

> I really just wanted to be able to incorporate these baseball puns. That was the whole reason for the fic.
> 
> Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this please leave a comment and/or kudos! Also if you want to talk about anything, feel free to hit me up on [tumblr](https://franniebanana.tumblr.com/)!


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